April 11, 2005

A former Catholic priest who committed an "inexcusable" breach of trust by convincing a teenaged altar boy to have sex with him has been jailed for at least 7½ years by a Sydney court.

James Fletcher, 64, from Branxton, was found guilty of nine charges relating to the sexual abuse of the teenager between 1989 and 1991.

Fletcher was convicted in December last year of the offences which occurred at his NSW Hunter Valley parish.

Reading the victim's evidence recorded during the trial, NSW District Court judge Graham Armitage today said Fletcher had tried to "ingratiate" himself to the victim and his family and manipulate the boy into keeping quiet.

"He ingratiated himself with the offender and his family for the specific purpose of taking advantage of him," Judge Armitage said.

The court was told Fletcher had on a number of occasions driven the victim to a waterworks near the parish where the two had oral sex.